Sports
Liverpool beats 10-man Everton
Liverpool beats 10-man Everton
MOHAMED Salah was the Merseyside derby match-winner with a second-half double as Liverpool defeated 10-man Everton in the Premier League.
Salah’s confident penalty in front of the Kop End following Michael Keane’s handball ended a frustrating 75 minutes for the home side and he added a late second as the Reds went momentarily top of the table – before Man City’s win later on Saturday.
It took the Egypt international’s tally to 201 career league goals and victory maintained Liverpool’s recent dominance over their neighbours in this fixture.
Jurgen Klopp’s side searched for a way to break the deadlock in the second period after Ashley Young was sent off for two bookable offences, with both fouls coming on Luis Diaz.
The hosts had been finding it difficult to make in-roads despite having a man advantage, with many of their efforts from long range comfortable for Jordan Pickford to deal with.
The England international smothered Alexis Mac Allister’s rasping effort and Darwin Nunez’s strike, while dipping drives from Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dominik Szoboszlai both dropped narrowly over.
Everton maybe should have gone ahead in the opening couple of minutes but Dominic Calvert-Lewin could only divert his header straight at Alisson.
Dwight McNeil’s curling effort was also deflected over the crossbar, but they were finally breached with 15 minutes to go and again in injury time, leaving Sean Dyche’s side with only two wins in nine league games this season.
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The two sides have had contrasting campaigns so far, with Liverpool looking to challenge for the title while Everton are languishing close to the relegation zone once more.
The 263rd Merseyside derby was a close affair but it was the Reds who came out on top once more, courtesy of star man Salah’s thumping penalty and close-range finish in injury time.
The home supporters needed a lift and someone to stand up and provide the impetus for the result, and it was Salah who again provided it – although Liverpool may have had luck on their side.
The penalty was given after referee Craig Pawson came to the pitchside monitor and adjudged that Keane had handled the ball, while the official did not send Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate off following a foul on Everton forward Beto while already on a booking.
Reds boss Klopp reacted by immediately substituting Konte and bringing on Joel Matip as he successfully looked to hold on to a clean sheet.
Liverpool have a stranglehold on results in this fixture and have now lost just one in 28 meetings against the Blues, that solitary defeat coming at Anfield in February 2021.
But Liverpool’s home form is formidable and it was always going be a big ask for a struggling Everton side to travel the short distance home with anything, as Klopp’s side have lost just one of their last 45 matches on their own turf.
The German boss also surpassed former Liverpool and Everton boss Rafael Benitez as the manager with most derby wins in the Premier League with nine.
After Salah’s opener, substitute Harvey Elliott forced Pickford into a fine save, tipping a vicious effort onto the crossbar, before Salah sealed victory in the 97th minute.
It could have been a very different result had Calvert-Lewin’s early chance gone in, and it turned out to be their only shot on target in the game.
But the gameplan had to change after Young’s red card, with the former England international failing to keep his cool in the pressurised situation of a derby.
Already on a booking, the full-back lunged in on Diaz for a second mistimed challenge and was dismissed on 38 minutes, much to the anger of Dyche.
The Everton manager will also point to Reds defender Konate doing similar in the second period when the match was goalless.
Everton were unable to spring a surprise after coming into the game in buoyant mood on the back of a 3-0 win over Bournemouth, and they return the short distance home across Stanley Park empty handed.
Liverpool beats 10-man Everton
Sports
French football star, Paul Pogba’s blackmail trial begin in Paris
French football star, Paul Pogba’s blackmail trial begin in Paris
Six men linked to Juventus and France midfielder Paul Pogba go on trial Tuesday, accused of blackmail, attempted extortion of millions of euros and holding the player at gunpoint.
The case at the Paris criminal court has shocked the French football world because the alleged perpetrators include three childhood friends and Pogba’s own brother Mathias.
Tuesday’s trial comes on top of football woes for Pogba, whose career has struggled since France’s 2018 World Cup win when he scored against Croatia in the Moscow final.
He suffered repeated injuries that led to his 2022 departure from Manchester United, returning to Juventus where he remained in and out of treatment.
The Turin club this month cancelled his contract following his suspension until March 2025 for doping.
The six defendants in Paris are accused of attempting to squeeze 13 million euros ($13.5 million) out of Pogba.
His brother, Mathias was the one to go public in the case, publishing a video on social media in August 2022 promising revelations about his younger brother that were “likely to be explosive”.
In a subsequent clip, Mathias accused Paul Pogba of casting an evil spell on his France teammate, Kylian Mbappe.
Paul Pogba’s lawyers and his agent Rafaela Pimenta said in a statement later the videos “came on top of threats and attempts at extortion”.
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He had already filed criminal complaints in Italy and France in July that year.
Pogba told French investigators he had in March 2022 been “tricked by childhood friends” from the gritty Paris suburb where he and Mathias grew up.
He accused them of snatching him before he was held at gunpoint by two hooded men with assault rifles, demanding 13 million euros for “services rendered” and blaming him for not helping them financially.
Pogba said at the time that he had paid them only 100,000 euros.
The footballer said he had also been pressured at the France national team’s training centre in Clairefontaine, at one of his homes in Manchester, and at Juventus’ training ground.
Pogba added that he had also paid a bill of more than 57,000 euros that the same friends had racked up at the Adidas store on Paris’ glitzy Champs-Elysees avenue.
“It’s been really difficult for me off the pitch, what’s happened, it’s been especially hard mentally,” Pogba told broadcaster Al-Jazeera at the end of the last season.
“Money changes people, it’s the truth, it can destroy a family, start a war”.
Paul Pogba’s lawyer Pierre-Jean Douvier declined to comment ahead of the case when contacted by AFP.
His friends have all denied the allegations.
They had “a friendly relationship, with chats, joking around, and alongside that, yes, maybe Paul Pogba gave them a helping hand,” said Karim Morand-Lahouazi, a lawyer for one of the accused.
French football star, Paul Pogba’s blackmail trial begin in Paris
Sports
Ronaldo’s brace propels Al Nassr toward AFC champions league quarters
Ronaldo’s brace propels Al Nassr toward AFC champions league quarters
Cristiano Ronaldo delivered a stellar performance for Al Nassr, scoring twice in their 3-1 victory over Al Gharafa in Qatar.
The win, secured at Al Bayt Stadium on Monday, leaves the Saudi champions needing only three points from their final three group matches to reach the AFC Champions League quarterfinals.
The 39-year-old faced initial frustration after several missed chances in the first half. However, Ronaldo broke the deadlock just 50 seconds into the second half, heading home Sultan Al Ghannam’s pinpoint cross from close range.
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Angelo Gabriel, a summer signing from Chelsea, doubled Al Nassr’s lead in the 58th minute. Moments later, the Brazilian setup Ronaldo for his second goal of the night, bringing his tally to four in this season’s competition. The Portuguese star was substituted in the 74th minute after his decisive contributions.
Al Gharafa pulled one back through Joselu, Ronaldo’s former Real Madrid teammate. However, their hopes of a comeback were dashed when Seydou Sano received a second yellow card and was sent off in the 84th minute.
The victory ensures Al Nassr remains unbeaten in five matches in the Western zone of the draw. They now sit second in the 12-team standings, inching closer to a coveted spot in the tournament’s last eight.
Ronaldo’s performance reaffirms his status as a key player, driving Al Nassr’s aspirations in the rebranded AFC Champions League.
Ronaldo’s brace propels Al Nassr toward AFC champions league quarters
Sports
Mo Salah disappointed as Liverpool fails to offer new contract
Mo Salah disappointed as Liverpool fails to offer new contract
Mohamed Salah says he is disappointed by Liverpool’s failure to offer him a new contract and believes he is “more out than in” as he nears the end of his existing deal.
The 32-year-old, who has scored 12 goals in all competitions this season, is out of contract at the end of the 2024/25 campaign.
The Egypt international showed his enduring value on Sunday, scoring twice in Liverpool’s 3-2 victory at Southampton, which took them eight points clear at the top of the Premier League table.
But his comments after the match suggest Salah, who arrived at Anfield in 2017 and has won the Champions League and Premier League with the club, could leave for free.
“We are almost in December and I haven’t received any offers yet to stay in the club,” he said. “I’m probably more out than in.
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“You know I have been in the club for many years. There is no club like this. But in the end it is not in my hands.”
Salah is one of the three key Liverpool players who will soon be heading into the last six months of their deals, with Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold also out of contract at the end of the season.
All three will be free to speak to overseas clubs in January if they do not sign an extension before then.
Asked if he was disappointed not to have received an offer from Liverpool, Salah added: “Of course, yeah. I love the fans. The fans love me. In the end it is not in my hands or the fans’ hands. Let’s wait and see.
“I’m not going to retire soon so I’m just playing, focusing on the season and I’m trying to win the Premier League and hopefully the Champions League as well. I’m disappointed but we will see.”
Mo Salah disappointed as Liverpool fails to offer new contract
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